Present day Macedonia is a landlocked sovereign country bordered by Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania and is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia. Ancient Macedonians lived in the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Azius in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula. The Battle of Chaeronea, where the Macedonians defeated the Greeks in 338 BC, marked an end of Greek history and the beginning of the Macedonian Era. The kingdom of Macedon was established by the 8th or 7th century BC and their first ruler of note was Philip II (“Philip of Macedon”) who ruled from 359-336 BC.
Under Philip of Macedon the Macedonians are credited with numerous military innovations, chiefly among them the phalanx (a rectangular mass military formation) and the sarisssa (an extremely long spear or pike). He united Macedonia, Illyria, Thrace and Greece by bringing the various city-states into his empire through military victory, persuasion or by bribes. Probably his greatest legacy was his son Alexander, also known as Alexander the Great. When Philip II was assassinated by one of his bodyguards, Alexander took over.Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) led the Macedonian armies into Asia and conquered the Persian Empire, enabling Macedonia to become the world’s largest Empire, stretching from Europe, to North Africa, to Asia and India. Alexander was tutored by Aristotle (who in another interesting line of succession, was a pupil of Plato, who was a pupil of Socrates) and was influenced by the classical Greek thinking of that era. Alexander’s death led to a Macedonian civil war, as his generals fought over who would succeed him. Ultimately the generals carved up the empire with Antigonus I taking Macedonia and Greece, Seleucus I taking Asia and Ptolemy I taking Egypt. While Antigonus and Selecus formed dynasties on a smaller scale in their respective territories, Ptolemy’s dynasty in Egypt lasted for 275 years (from 305 to 30 BC), taking over what was the grandest and longest-lived empire that man had seen to that point. Over a dozen successions into the Ptolemaic dynasty, Cleopatra VII came to the throne.
Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemys to rule in Egypt and after her death, Egypt became a Roman province. Most Ptolemaic rulers spoke Greek and refused to learn Egyptian, which is why Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents (as well as the Rosetta Stone). In contrast, Cleopatra learned Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of an Egyptian Goddess (Isis). While there is some evidence to the contrary, Cleopatra is typically cast as a great beauty and her conquests of the world's most powerful men (eg., Julius Caesar, Mark Antony) are taken to be proof of her allure. French philosopher Blaise Pascal argued that Cleopatra's classically beautiful profile changed world history: "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed." While she certainly charmed great Roman leaders, other Romans were not so smitten with her, highlighting her Macedonian goatherd family origins in many off-color jokes.In the 20th century, Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, was born in Salonika (Thessalonika) to an Albanian father and a strong-willed Macedonian mother. It’s pretty amazing that this Balkan pastureland between the high peaks has produced so many great leaders. For a bunch of goatherds, the Macedonians have done pretty well for themselves.
Posts
I applaud that you brings history into travelling. I have always found that knowledge puts depth into a flat landscape.
ReplyDeleteI guess Pascal's comment about her nose: "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed." could suggest she had a big nose (I have heard that before) or - to look at it another way - that her face was so perfect that any change, including a shorter nose, would have lessened her beauty.
Or it could indicate that she had a very short nose, and that any shorter and she would have looked piggy.
I guess it is 'pays your money and takes your choice'
David,
ReplyDeleteI like the phrase "depth into a flat landscape." I think it perfectly describes the interplay between traveling and history and how they feed off one another.
Thanks for commenting.
Jason
THE TERRITORY OF MAKEDONIA HAS BEEN, IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE GREEK. OBVIOUSLY THE WRITER OF THE ABOVE TEXT DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY.
ReplyDeleteMAKEDONIA IS A GREEK TERRITORY FROM THE BIG PRESPA LAKE AND LICHNITIS LAKE (OCHRID)TO THE NORTHWEST, UP TO LAKE DOIRANI TO THE NORTH EAST AND MOUNT OLYMPUS TO THE SOUTH. THE HISTORY OF MAKEDONIA IS EXCLUSIVELY GREEK HISTORY. IT EXISTS WITH THIS NAME FOR 4.000 YEARS. MAKEDONIANS HAVE BEEN, ARE AND ALWAYS WILL BE ONLY GREEK. PHILIP, HIS ANCESTORS AND, OF COURCE, HIS SON ALEXANDER THE GREAT ARE GREEK WITH PELOPONNESIAN DESCENT FROM ARGOS - THEY BELONG TO THE ARGEADES DYNASTY-.
IN THE TIME OF KING PHILIP B' THERE ARE GREEK CITY STATES AND GREEK CITIES FROM ILLYRIA, THRACE EVEN NORTHERN THAN THE RIVER ISTROS (DANUBE), AROUND THE WHOLE PONTUS EUXINUS - THE BLACK SEA-, ASIA MINOR, THE ITALIAN PENINSULA, LYBIA, EGYPT, SYRIA AND AROUND THE WHOLE OF THE MEDITERANEAN SEA. THIS IS THE GREEK WORLD, NOT GREECE WITH THE CONTEMPORARY MEANING.SO, THERE IS NOT MAKEDONIA AND GREECE. MAKEDONIA IS A PART OF GREECE -GREEK WORLD BY ALL MEANS- AS WELL.
IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT ALEXANDER THE GREAT IS THE GREATEST OF THE GREEKS. HE WENT TO FREE THE GREEK LANDS OF ASIA MINOR FROM THE PERSIAN INVADORS WITH THE UNITED GREEK ARMY AND AFTER HE DID THAT,HE CONQUERED THE PERSIAN EMPIRE AND ALSO TERRITORIES OF MOST OF INDIA UP TO NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN WITH THE GREEK ARMY.
THETE IS NOT ANY MAKEDONIAN ETHNICITY. A MAKEDONIAN IS A GREEK LIKE AN EPIROTE, A PELOPONNESIAN, A THESSALIAN, A CRETAN ETC.
THERE NEVER WAS A MACEDONIAN EMPIRE. THERE WAS A GREEK EMPIRE (HELLENISTIC), THAT IS WHY THE CENTURIES OF THE EXISTANCE OF THIS EMPIRE ARE CALLED HELLENISTIC TIMES OR/AND HELLENISTIC PERIOD (GRECO BUDISTIC ART IS A PART OF IT FOR THE CENTURIES THAT FOLLOWED). THE LANGUAGE OF MAKEDONIANS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE GREEK LANGUAGE, AS FOR ALL THE GREEK NATION. THE GREEK LANGUAGE WAS THE LANGUAGE OF THE HELLENISTIC (GREEK) EMPIRE, THE HELLENISTIC KINGDOMS THAT FOLLOWED FOR CENTURIES AND THAT IS WHY THE GREEK LANGUAGE WAS THE LANGUAGE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE AS WELL AND OF COURSE, AFTER THAT, THE LANGUAGE OF THE IMPERIUM GRAECORUM (GRAIKIA)- GREEK EMPIRE THAT IS - THAT FOLLOWED FOR 1.1OO YEARS UP TO 1460 AD(BYZANTINE EMPIRE IS A TERM OF GERMAN 'HISTORIAN' HIERONYMUS WOLF AFTER 1557 AND IS WRONG, BECAUSE VYZANTION IS A CITY FOUNDED BY GREEKS OF MEGARA -NEAR ATHENS- IN 667 BC, VERY NEAR TO CONSTANTINOPLE THAT WAS FOUNDED IN 330 AD.) THAT IS WHY THE GREEKS ARE STILL CALLED GREEKS IN THE WESTERN WORD.
A 'MACEDONIAN CIVIL WAR ' ? WΗΑΤ ON EARTH IS ΤΗIS ? IN WHAT HISTORY BOOK IT IS WRITTEN THAT THERE WAS A ' MACEDONIAN CIVIL WAR '? THE GENERALS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT HAD TO DIVIDE HE TERRITORIES OF THE EMPIRE AFTER HIS DEATH, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO GOVERN THEM. THEY DIDN'T ALWAYS AGREE FOR THE BOUNDARIES, BUT A ' MACEDONIAN CIVIL WAR' NEVER EXISTED.THE GRANDEST OF THE HELLENISTIC KINGDOMS WASN'T THE ONE OF PTOLEMY. IT WAS THE ONE OF SELEUCUS - FROM SYRIA AND ASIA MINOR TO SOGDIANI AND VACTRIANI -AFGHANISTAN- AND UP TO INDIA AND IT WAS THE BIGGEST AS WELL.
KEMAL ATATURK WAS NOT A GREEK - HE IS CALLED HALF MAKEDONIAN IN THE TEXT ABOVE FOR GOD'S SAKE! HE SLAUGHTERED 2.000.OO0 GREEKS AND KICK ANOTHER 2.000.000 GREEKS OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND LANDS IN ASIA MINOR AND EASTERN THRACE. HE WAS THE SON OF AN ALBANIAN FATHER WHO WAS A POOR SHEPHERD AND AN ASHKENAZI JEWISH MOTHER. HE WAS NOT BORN IN THESALONIKI, BUT IN LANGADA DISTRICT NEAR LANGADA LAKE. THE RUINS OF HIS POOR FAMILY LITTLE HOME ARE STILL THERE FOR SOMEONE TO SEE IF HE WISHES TO.
TO CALL THE BUTCHER OF THE GREEKS, ARMENIANS AND ALL CHRISTIANS OF ASIA MINOR AND EASTEN THRACE A GREEK IS THE GREATEST INSULT FOR THE GREEKS, SO NEXT TIME STUDY SOME HISTORY, IN ORDER NOT TO FOOL THE ONES THAT DON'T KNOW HISTORY, NOT TO BE RUDE AND NOT TO MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF.
To the anonymous person above:
ReplyDeleteMacedonia as a kingdom existed, when today's Greece was still just a bunch of city states connected by a road. At the time the Greek world, its city states , were considered to be a civilised world, to speak read and write Greek meant to be civilized. The Hellenistic city states considered the Macedonian kingdom to be a barbaric one and most importantly its citizens. The Macedonian Royal Family trying to prove itself 'civilized' represented itself as Greek. Written facts are only found of what the Macedonian family represented itself as. Facts that it was Greek were never found. And most importantly facts of what the ordinary Macedonian considered themselves to be were not found.So unless proven otherwise they were Macedonian and still are and will be.Oh and another thing before fighting the Persians, the Hellenistic tribes were conquered first.After Alexander ascended the throne he gave their freedom back. Practically he never fought for the Greeks. And he would have called his empire the Hellenistic not the Macedonian. he fought in the name of Macedonia not Hellenistic tribes. Who by the way are a mixture of Egyptians, Mesopotamians and Persians. That is also the reason why true Greeks have olive skin, curly brown hair and brown eyes, and not blonde hair, white skin and blue eyes. A true historian reads different sources, not bias ones. And weights out and forms his own opinion not the opinion of his country that pursues its money making interests.